Over 500 city workers in Australia just walked off the job in protest after their concerns over using the toxic weed killer Roundup were ignored by management.
The outdoor staff at Blacktown City Council, a local government area in Western Sydney, refused to keep using sprays like Roundup that contain the cancer-causing ingredient glyphosate. Other local governments have already banned the poisonous product and are trying safer alternatives, and the protesters urged city management to follow in their steps.
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The United Services Union, which represents local government employees, said the dispute intensified after management demanded six workers use the spray containing glyphosate or they would be fired. The union said in a statement:
“Outdoor staff responded by halting work and returning to their depots, leaving more than 10,000 bins uncollected. What we are trying to achieve for the members here is that the council gives them support in using another product. Council are saying no at the moment on principal and that they are going to keep on using Roundup. There’s five councils in metro alone that have said they are not going to use Roundup because there are concerns of cancer substances in there.”
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Bayer AG, who now owns Roundup after purchasing Monsanto last year for $63 billion, claims glyphosate does not cause cancer and is safe for humans. However, the Australian Cancer Council is requesting an investigation into the use of the weed killer due to substantiated concerns it causes cancer.
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As we continue to report, Bayer faces more than 13,400 lawsuits across the globe, and they are desperately trying to repair their reputation. Their share price has recently plummeted.
In Australia, Michael Ogalirolo, 54, is a Victorian gardener who consistently used Roundup for twenty-one years and now has non-Hodgkins lymphoma. He filed a lawsuit in the Victorian Supreme Court in June claiming Monsanto Australia Pty. Ltd. did not warn the public that its Roundup products cause cancer and are hazardous to human health.
